Author Archives for popcorngirl12

Parisian Green Beans

Ok I have no clue why these are called “Parisian”. Maybe because they dress up plain old frozen green beans into something fancy? I’ve never been to Paris, maybe this is how they serve them there. It could be because the French were the first ones to put green beans on their menus! No matter what the reason, this recipe is great. It’s different from your normal ho-hum green beans. As you all know I normally double or triple the garlic amounts in recipes but this one already has 3 cloves in it so I think that’s enough. It’s also got bell pepper flakes, which is something you don’t see too often in recipes. (It should be in the spice aisle). Dill weed and walnuts round out this recipe giving it that something extra. It’s a very low-calorie recipe, low carbs, and good fiber! If you have nut allergies, leave out the walnuts. My husband would also insist on putting parmesan cheese on top of these as well. Making it Italian/French! Bon appetit!

INGREDIENTS:

32 ounces frozen green beans, cooked

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup bell pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dill weed

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook beans as directed on the package. Drain any liquid off.

2. Heat a skillet on medium with the olive oil. Add beans to skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.

Makes 6 cups


Pecan Crusted Orange Roughy

I am always looking for ways to make fish differently. The thing is that when I find a good recipe I tend to make it over and over and over…My husband loves when I use panko bread crumbs so I decided to use that and kick it up a notch. Orange roughy is a really tasty, white flakey fish. This recipe can used with any white filet, like flounder, tilapia, snapper etc. Orange Roughy was on sale at my supermarket this week so I bought it. At a restaurant the other night I had almond crusted brook trout. It was delicious. So I decided to used crushed pecans with my orange roughy. It was really the first time I tried making it myself. It came out incredible! I could have eaten another filet easily. I used soy flour in this recipe also as it’s lower in carbs but feel free to use regular or whole wheat flour.

INGREDIENTS:

14 ounces orange roughy (2 filets)

¼ cup soy flour

¼ cup fat-free half-and-half (or any milk you choose)

1 egg

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup seasoned panko bread crumbs

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.

2. Combine the pecans and bread crumbs on one plate. Combine the milk and egg in another bowl. Place flour on a plate.

3. Season the fish with salt and pepper and dredge in the soy flour. Then dip the fish into the egg/milk mixture and then bread crumbs/pecans.

4. Add oil to hot pan. Add fish to hot oil and cook 3-5 minutes on each side until fish flakes easily.  Coating should be golden brown.

Oatmeal-Apricot Amaretto Cookies

The holiday season is just around the corner. It’s never too soon to start thinking of cookies for the holiday! I love cookies. I could pass up cake, brownies and pie (except Key Lime). But cookies are another thing. They’re smaller so I rationalize that it’s not as many calories. But then again for the most part if you are eating cookies you aren’t thinking of calories. Not usually anyway. So this recipe is not a low-calorie version. That’s ok though. We need the good stuff every so often! So whip up a batch of these delicious cookies and just enjoy them. Make a pot of tea or coffee and invite some friends over for a snack! They’ll love it! And my favorite liqueur is Amaretto so this cookie is a win-win! Sorry but there are no pics yet for this. When I’ve  made them in the past I wasn’t thinking to take pics. Now I take pictures of everything! When I make them again I will add a photo.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour

1 cup butter

1 tablespoon amaretto


1 cup chopped, dried apricots


½ cup sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup finely chopped almonds

2 ½ cups oats


1 egg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat butter until soft. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy.

3. Add egg and amaretto, mixing well.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in oats, apricots and almonds.

5. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on waxed paper to cool.

FROSTING:

2 cups powdered sugar

5-6 teaspoons amaretto.

Whisk ingredients until smooth, adding amaretto until mixture reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cookies.

Pumpkin Carrot Bars

Yes I am still in Fall mode. Trying to pretend it’s cooler outside and that the leaves are changing here. But then I look outside and see nothing but green palm trees, green leaves on the maple trees, green everywhere! Ok, so the leaves really don’t change here. They do fall on some trees but they aren’t pretty about it. Oh well, the sacrifice for living in the Sunshine State. Maybe they change in northern Florida? And right now the temperature is still 79 degrees. It’s 7pm! But I did buy a couple little pumpkins at Walmart yesterday! I will use them for pies or something later in the year. They actually last a long time after the fall! I’ve had pumpkins that lasted till April!

Well I found this recipe and changed it a bit to make it a little less fattening. I substituted Splenda and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for the sugars and I use light cream cheese in place of regular. As always, feel free to use the real stuff if you want. I was also very happy to hear that the pumpkin shortage is officially over as well. Last year I had stocked up on the canned pumpkin when I found it. It was like gold! But the crop was good this year and we can all breathe easily now! Whew!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour or whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup granulated Splenda (sucralose)

1/3 cup light butter/margarine, softened

½ cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

2 eggs

2 large egg whites

1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin

1 cup carrot, finely shredded

Cream Cheese Topping/Icing:

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened

¼ cup Splenda

1 tablespoon fat-free half-and-half (or whatever milk product you want)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan. (or similar pan)

2. In a small bowl combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda.

3. In a larger bowl, beat together sugar (1 cup), butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, egg whites, canned pumpkin and carrots. Beat until well blended. Add flour mixture and mix until well blended. Spread into greased pan.

4. Mix together cream cheese, sugar (¼ cup) and milk until thoroughly blended.

5. Drop teaspoonfuls of topping over pumpkin batter and swirl mixture with a butter knife.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan completely on wire rack before cutting into squares.

Makes 48 squares.

Apple Cranberry Martini

So the calendar says it’s Fall. I have to say it has been cooler than normal here in south Florida. Remember, it’s cool for us. In the mid 70s! The weather people say it’s cooler than normal for this time of year. I think they’re right. I’ve gotten used the Fall weather arriving in time for Thanksgiving! Halloween is usually pretty warm here. But either way, it’s Fall. I remember years and years ago when my family would go up to Maine for a long weekend. We have a house in Naples, Maine. A summer “camp” as they call it. No heat. No insulation. Indoor plumbing! But you don’t go up there in the winter or after the lake freezes. Yes, the house is on a lake as well. So Columbus Day weekend was usually the last time we went up. One of the traditions we had, for a few years anyway, was to go apple picking. No matter how sullen or grumpy some of were we always had fun. We ate more apples than we picked sometimes! The weather was always beautiful. Cool but not cold, sunny and clear.

 

October 1976: Me (red jacket upper left), Dad, Billy, Warren, Michele & Mom

 

I do miss that part of being up north this time of year. We have pumpkin ‘fields’ here. They are usually on a corner lot on the road or church yard. Places where in another month or so we’ll see Christmas trees. It’s just not the same to go pumpkin picking here! So all this talk of  “Fall” weather had me thinking of a seasonal martini. Did the pumpkin one already. And since I associate apple picking with the Fall this martini sounded perfect. Sort of like an apple cosmo! Anyway, give it a try and enjoy the Fall weather however you can!

 

 

 


INGREDIENTS:

2 ounces cranberry vodka

1 ounce green apple vodka

1 ounce cranberry juice

apple slices (red or green) for garnish

fresh cranberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Add ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with an apple slice or cranberries on a toothpick.

Makes 2 drinks

Escarole, Spicy Sausage & Cannellini Bean Stew

I’ve been trying to come up with a recipe today and my mind just keeps getting sidetracked. It’s Thursday, I have an hour left before I go to “Happy Hour” with the neighborhood ladies and I am still sitting here wondering what to use in today’s blog. First I thought about doing a “happy hour” recipe, then changed my mind. I am clueless today. Good thing I don’t have to drive anywhere! We have it at our homes, we take turns once a month. So I just have to walk a few houses away.  But I still want to make sure this is done BEFORE I go meet the ladies. So I was just looking everywhere for anything. It’s been one of those days today. Not much sun out and under 80 degrees for a change. It is fall after all! Then I came across an email I got from Fine Cooking. The recipe looked pretty simple and it’s pretty quick to make too. That is always a plus. If I had escarole in the house I’d make this tonight. But I don’t so I will make it next week. Hopefully I will get another cool “fall” day in Florida!

The recipe calls for regular hot Italian sausage. I have not used regular sausage in my cooking at home in a very long time. I have used pre-cooked or uncooked chicken sausages. They come in all kinds of flavors these days and are really tasty. They have Italian style also and spicy versions as well. So that’s what I will use. Whenever they are on sale or I have coupons I stock up. They freeze extremely well. Always good for a quick snack too if you get company. Just nuke em and slice em up. Stick a few toothpicks in and serve with mustard or whatever you have for dipping. Voila! If you don’t like spicy, use regular. No worries! I will also up the amount of garlic, hey, I’m Italian, I need my garlic! For now the photo is the one I got with the recipe, but as soon as I make this myself I will swap it for my own. Seems like I take pictures of every meal these days, just in case! If anybody makes it let me know!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

¾ pound of spicy/hot uncooked Italian chicken sausages, casings removed

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 small head escarole, chopped into 1-2″ pieces, washed and lightly dried (a salad spinner is great for this)

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth/stock

1½ teaspoons red-wine vinegar; more to taste if needed

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (more if you want)

Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 5-6 quart Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5-6 minutes.

2. Add the sausage, raise the heat to medium high and cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon or spatula until lightly browned and broken into small (1″) pieces, 5-6 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stir in the beans. Add the escarole to the pot in batches; using tongs, toss with the sausage mixture to wilt the escarole and make room for more.

4. When all the escarole is in, add the chicken broth, cover the pot and cook until the beans are heated through and the escarole is tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with the vinegar and salt. Transfer to bowls and sprinkle each portion with the parmesan cheese.

Serves 3-4

No-Bake Tropical Cheesecake Pie

Seems like I am on a pie kick right now. And if you ask my husband I am a terrible baker. Well this pie you don’t have to bake so how hard can it be. So what if every time I try a new cookie recipe it rarely comes out good. I also should stop trying to make all the cookies or cakes diet friendly. Sometimes cookies, cakes and pies just need the calories and fat and yummy stuff!  I have had many cookie exchanges around the holidays but since living here in Florida, I’ve found my neighbors and most of my friends just aren’t into them. I would be lucky if I got like 5 people to show. In New York I always had a houseful! And the cookies came out awesome! Maybe it’s the weather here. Maybe it’s the fact that in December I am still wearing shorts and flip-flops. I wonder…

Anyway, I can’t take credit for this recipe. It’s Rachael Ray’s recipe. If you’ve ever watched her talk show then you know she CAN’T BAKE!  So she says. She always burns the bread in the oven! Nice to know she’s just like the rest of us. Well this recipe does not involve baking so even Rachael Ray can make it! And if you really don’t feel like making the crust yourself, skip that part and just buy one of those Keebler graham cracker pie crusts. Who is gonna know!


INGREDIENTS:

1 package (¼ ounce) unflavored gelatin

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 rectangles)

3 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

¼ cup cream of coconut

1 mango, cut into small cubes (peel it first though!)

2 kiwis, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise (peel this first also!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle the gelatin into ½ cup cold water and let sit.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix in the butter. Transfer the mixture to a 10″ deep-dish pan and press into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Freeze until firm.

3. Microwave the softened gelatin until melted, 30 seconds.

4. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a medium bowl and refrigerate. Add the cream cheese to the mixer bowl and beat at high-speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Add the condensed milk, cream of coconut and melted gelatin and beat at medium speed until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the pie filling to the chilled crust. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 3 hours. Top with the mango and kiwis.

Skinny Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie is my favorite pie. But I could do without all the extra calories in it. This recipe is lower in calories and fat but still tastes great. If you don’t care about your calories/fat use the regular versions of the ingredients. Key Lime Pie also should NOT be bright lime green in color! It should be an almost pale yellow to very faint green. All those other pies that glow in the dark have food coloring added. You don’t need it! Honest! This recipe is also very easy to make and takes more time to chill and set than it does to prepare and bake. If you are ever in Key West though, try their frozen chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick! OMG! Talk about sugar coma! But it is so incredibly delicious and  heavenly. The last time I had it I shared it with my husband and stepson and we had a hard time finishing it. So worth the extra calories and fat every so often!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

½ cup Key Lime juice (such as Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice)

1 teaspoon lime zest (if you can find a key lime use that instead)

1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 (6 ounce) reduced-fat graham cracker crust

1½ cups frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Beat eggs and egg whites at medium speed on an electric mixer until well-blended.

3. Gradually add the lime juice, zest and condensed milk into the egg mixture, beating until well-blended.

4. Spoon mixture into pie crust and bake at 350º for 20 minutes or until almost set. (The center will not be firm but will set up as it chills.)

5. Cool on a wire rack. Cover loosely and chill for at least 4 hours. Spread whipped topping evenly over filling. Serve!

Makes 8 servings


Red Radish Spread (updated)

It’s only been recently that I discovered I like radishes. Up until now I always thought I hated them. I really don’t know why. I don’t remember actually eating one when I was younger and deciding that it was gross. I don’t actually remember ever eating one before stating I didn’t like them. Then one day I decided to try one in my salad. Lo and behold I liked it! Go figure. So when I came across this recipe for a Red Radish Spread I thought it was a unique ingredient for a dip/spread. I am always looking for a different spread/dip to serve. We get tired of the same old onion dip, spinach dip, crab dip and so on. This recipe is also from The Queen Victoria Bed & Breakfast Inn that I mentioned in a post the other day.  There is nothing really weird in the recipe and though I haven’t actually made this yet I am going to get some radishes this weekend and give it a try.

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces light cream cheese, softened

1 cup chopped red radish (a small bag should be good)

2 tablespoons horseradish

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried dill

1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

Process all ingredients in a food processor. Cover and chill several hours.

Serve with crackers or veggies.

Makes 1½ cups

Ok, I made the spread. It came out delish! I know, this kind of looks like strawberries. It was very tasty though and I of course added more garlic than the recipe called for. Still great! So easy to make too. Try it!!

Cucumber Margarita

The first time I saw this recipe was in a copy of Coastal Living. I came across it again and decided it definitely needed to be revisited. It sounded delicious the first time and even more now! Cucumber and margarita definitely sound odd. When I look for a new cocktail to try odd sometimes turns out to be incredible! It’s healthy, it has a vegetable in it! The recipe states 12 slices of cucumber. It doesn’t state if it should be peeled or not or how thick the slices should be. The photo does show the garnish of cucumber with skin and it does have green specs in it, so I would guess you don’t have to peel it, unless you want to. I would use the English style cucumbers as they have a less waxy film on them. If anyone tries one, let me know! Leave a comment! I love to hear what everyone has to say! Fall can start on Monday, enjoy a last bit of summer this weekend!

INGREDIENTS:

12  slices fresh cucumber

½ cup fresh lime juice

4  ounces  (½ cup) Cointreau

6  ounces  (¾ cup) tequila reposado

6  cups  ice

¼ cup  Grand Marnier

Lime slices

DIRECTIONS:

Combine cucumber and next 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Pour into glasses. Top each serving with a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, and garnish with lime or cucumber.

Makes 4 servings

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